Slashdot Mirror


Human-Animal Hybrids Fail

SailorSpork writes "Fans of furries and anime-style cat girls will be disappointed by the news that attempts to create human animal hybrids have failed. Experiments by British scientists to create embryonic stem cells by putting human DNA into cow or rabbit eggs had raised ethical concerns, but the question of how we would treat sub-humans will have to wait until we actually figure out how to make them."

1 of 554 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I've never understood the problem here by ljw1004 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Every ethical argument has some unjustifiable assumptions at its base.

    "We should maximize the sum of human happiness over time." But why?

    "Do unto others as you'd have them do to you." But why?

    "Let everyone do their own thing so long as it doesn't impinge on your own happiness." But why?

    "Respect the sanctity of human life, from conception through to death." But why?

    "Don't punish the innocent." But why?

    "All men are created equal." Really? Why do you think that? ('self-evidence' isn't a very solid ground in an argument.)

    Utilitarianism and humanism are just as arbitrary as disliking human cloning. Worse, actually, since they so often fool their adherents into thinking that the basis of their morality is rationality.